Suction drum washer

ABSTRACT

A suction drum washer comprises an outer tank, an inner tank having openings at both ends thereof and accommodated in the outer tank, a hollow suction drum having numerous holes in the outer periphery thereof and mounted rotatably in the inner tank, and a cylindrical body having helical fins on the outer periphery thereof and rotatably mounted in the suction drum. The helical fins are formed symmetrically in respect to the center of the cylindrical body. A washing liquid in the suction drum is caused to flow from the center towards both ends of the cylindrical body by the action of the fins when the cylindrical body is rotated thereby causing suction between the outer periphery of the suction drum and the inside thereof. A cloth wound around the suction drum is washed by the washing liquid penetrating therethrough by the suction.

United States Patent [1 1 Domoto [4 1 Feb. 11,1975

[73] Assignee: Daiwa Machinery Works, Ltd.,

Wakayama-shi, Japan [22] Filed: Apr. 19, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 352,643

Prinuu'y E.raminerHarvey C. Hornsby Assistant E.raminerPhilip R. Coe Attorney, Agent, or FirmWenderoth, Lind & Ponack 57 ABSTRACT A suction drum washer comprises an outer tank. an inner tank having openings at both ends thereof and accommodated in the outer tank. a hollow suction drum having numerous holes in the outer periphery thereof and mounted rotatably in the inner tank, and a cylindrical body having helical fins on the outer periphery thereof and rotatably mounted in the suction drum. The helical fins are formed symmetrically in respect to the center of the cylindrical body. A washing liquid in the suction drum is caused to flow from the center towards both ends of the cylindrical body by the action of the fins when the cylindrical body is rotated thereby causing suction between the outer periphery of the suction drum and the inside thereof. A cloth wound around the suction drum is washed by the washing liquid penetrating therethrough by the suction 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEN H I 3.864.948

' SHEEI 1 UF 2 FIG] mmml i ms SHEET 2 OF 2 FIG.4

o occoco o oooocco FIGS SUCTION DRUM WASHER The present invention relates to a suction drum washer which is used in a washing process in producing various cloths.

Recently, cloth has been improved from woven to knitted ones, and require high grade finish in dyeing, feeling and bulkiness. For this purpose, the most important process is washing.

There were several kinds of washers utilizing vibration, stirring,jetting, penetration flow or opposing flow. However, no washer has heretofore been developed which can wash cloth in loosely stretched state and also can prevent curling of cloth edges. As a result, it has been difficult to process a cloth which is required to receive high grade finish.

A primary object of the present invention is to obviate the defects of the conventional washers, and to provide a washer making it possible to wash a cloth in nontension state while preventing buckling of cloth structure as well as curling of edges thereof and to obtain a cloth meeting with high grade finish in flexibility, dyeing, feeling and bulkiness.

The above and other objects will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional front view of a washer according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan of the same;

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the same;

FIG. 4 is a sectional front view of a second embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional front view of a third embodiment of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, numeral 11 is a semicylindrical washer tank opened at the upper portion thereof, the cylindrical portion serving as a bottom thereof for holding a washing liquid.

An inner tank 14 similar to the washer tank 11 is mounted inside the washer tank 11, said inner tank 14 having end walls 13 at both ends thereof and a semicylindrical bottom 12 coaxial with the semi-cylindrical bottom of the washer tank 11, a clearance 15 being formed between the peripheral walls of the tanks 11 and 14 for circulating a washing liquid.

The upper edge of the inner tank 14 is arranged to be lower than that of the washer tank 11 to cause the liquid to flow into the inner tank 14 from the clearance 15.

A cylindrical body 17 is rotatably mounted in the inner tank 14 coaxially with the semi-cylindrical bot tom 12 thereof, said cylindrical body having a shaft 16 penetrating therethrough along the longitudinal axis thereof, said shaft 16 projecting from both ends of the tank 11 through openings 18 provided in both end walls 13 of the inner tank 14, and being rotatably supported by bearings on end walls 19 of the washer tank 11.

A pulley 20 is fixed to one end of said shaft 16, an endless belt 22 being entrained between said pulley 20 and a pulley fixed to an output shaft of a driving source 21 such as a motor the cylindrical body 17 being thus driven in one direction.

As shown in FIG. I, right and left helical fins 23 are provided on the entire outer periphery of the cylindrical body 17 so as to symmetrically extend from the center to both ends thereof for causing a liquid flow from the center towards both ends of the cylindrical body by the revolution thereof. The fins 23 are inclined towards the ends of the cylindrical body 27 at acute angles to the periphery thereof so as to prevent the radial flow of the liquid.

In view of the fact that the suction pressure created by the liquid flow varies from the central portion of the cylindrical body 17 to the end portions thereof, it is preferable, for example, to make the diameter of the cylinder 17 taper towards the both ends thereof while maintaining the height of the fins constant as shown in FIG. 4, or to make the fins higher towrds the both ends of the cylinder 17 while the diameter of the cylinder is the same as shown in FIG. 5, or to vary the pitches of the fins. In any case, the right and left fins are to be symmetrical, but the pitches thereof can be optional.

To maintain the washer tank 11 liquid-tightly, the penetrating portions of the shaft 16 through the end walls 19 are to be sealed mechanically, or by any means. 1

If necessary, propelling blades may be mounted on the shaft 16 in the tank 11 outside of the tank 14, or in the tank 14 outside of the ends of the cylinder 17, respectively for causing the radial flow or the axial flow.

The openings 18 provided in both end walls 13 of the tank 14 are arranged to be coaxial and substantially the same diameter with the fins 23 so that the liquid flow caused by the revolution of the cylinder 17 is passed therethrough to the clearance 15.

A cylindrical basket 24 serving as a suction drum is outwardly fitted to the cylinder 17 inside the inner tank 14, said basket being opened at both ends thereof. A flange 25 is provided on the entire outer periphery of the basket 24 at each end thereof. A plurality of rolls 26 are rotatably mounted on said each flange 25 at an equal interval, said rolls being adapted to run along a circular guide rail 27 fixed to the inside of each wall 13 of the inner tank 14 thereby enabling the basket to be rotatable coaxially with the cylindrical body 17.

Numerous holes 28 with a suitable opening ratio are provided in the entire periphery of the basket 24. When the cylindrical body 17 with the fins 23 is rotated to cause the axial flow of the liquid inside the basket, suction is created between the inside and outside of the pe ripheral wall of the basket to cause the liquid to flow into the inside thereof through the holes 28.

The basket 24 is to be fitted outwardly to the cylinder 17 with a suitable space between the inner periphery of the basket and the edges of the fins 23.

A gear 29 is formed on the outer periphery of one of the flange 25 of the basket 24. A smaller gear 30 meshes with the gear 29 and is rotatably supported. by the tank 11 and the end wall 13 through a shaft 31, one end of which projects from the washer tank 11 and is driven by a motor thereby rotating the basket 24 in the same direction as the direction of motion of a cloth A to be washed.

A net 32 is wound around the basket 24 for preventing a cloth from being spotted by the holes 28.

Numeral 33 is a feed roll provided longitudinally at one side of the upper opening of the inner tank 14, numeral 34 designating a guide roll opposed to said feed roll. The cloth A to be processed travels in the washer tank 11 from the feed roll to the guide roll through the underside of the basket 24 while being wound therearound, as best seen from FIG. 3.

The operation of the present washer will now be explained.

Initially, the cloth A is travels in the same manner as mentioned above in the tank 11 with a washing liquid provided to just slightly above the upper edge of the inner tank. The feed roll 33, the cylindrical body 17 and the basket 24 are then driven.

By the action of the tins 23 of the rotating cylindrical body 17, the liquid in the basket 24 is caused to flow from the center of the body 17 towards both ends thereof. As a result, reduction of pressure occurs inside the basket 24 and the liquid outside of the basket is introduced to the inside of the basket through the holes 28 to cause suction and penetration into the periphery of the basket while the cloth A is being moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3.

When the cloth A is moving through the washing liquid while being wound around the net 32 of the basket 24, the cloth A is washed since the washing liquid passes therethrough by the suction created by the revolution of the cylinder 17 in the basket 24.

The washing liquid is sent towards both ends of the cylinder 17 by the action of fins thereof, and flows out of the openings 18 of the end walls of the inner tank 14 onto the clearance 15. The liquid then rises upward in the clearance over the upper edge of the inner tank 14 to return into the basket 24. The liquid is thus circulated between the washer tank and the inner tank.

The feed roll 33 is adapted to feed the cloth A faster than the rotation of basket 24 so that a slack occurs between the feed roll and the basket which is sucked inwardly by the basket. As a result, the cloth A is washed in a contracted state without tension. Further, since the cloth A is stretched over the periphery of the basket by the suction thereof, the curls of the cloth edges are amended. Accordingly, the washed cloth is sent out in a favourable state enabling a high grade finish in dyeing, feeling and bulkiness.

Moreover, according to the present device, suction occurs on the entire outer periphery of the basket 24 thereby making it possible to obtain sufficient washing effect for a broader cloth.

In addition, since the sucking force can be varied by changing the rate of revolution of the cylinder 17, a cloth of any thickness can be applied to the present washer.

What is claimed is:

1. A suction drum washer comprising a semicylindrical outer tank, a semi-cylindrical inner tank mounted within said outer tank and at a lower level than an upper edge of said outer tank. said inner and outer tanks being spaced apart, said inner tank having openings at both ends thereof communicating with the space between said outer and inner tanks, a hollow suction drum rotatably mounted in said inner tank and opened at both ends thereof correspondingly to said openings of said inner tank, said suction drum having a plurality of holes in the periphery thereof, and a cylindrical body rotatably mounted in said suction drum and having right and left symmetrical helical fins on the periphery thereof, said fins causing a flow of a washing liquid longitudinally along the periphery of the cylindrical body upon the rotation thereof.

2. A suction drum washer as claimed in claim 1, wherein a net is wound around said suction drum.

3. A suction drum washer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said openings of the inner tank have substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the fins.

4. A suction drum washer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said right and left symmetrical fins are fixed at acute angles to the periphery of the cylindrical body respectively each extending toward an end of said cylindrical body.

5. A suction drum washer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cylindrical body is tapered towards both ends thereof so that the center thereof is larger than both ends thereof while the height of the fins is the same throughout the entire length thereof.

6. A suction drum washer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fins are formed so as to be higher at the end portions of said cylindrical body while said cylindrical body has the same diameter throughout the entire length thereof. 

1. A suction drum washer comprising a semi-cylindrical outer tank, a semi-cylindrical inner tank mounted within said outer tank and at a lower level than an upper edge of said outer tank, said inner and outer tanks being spaced apart, said inner tank having openings at both ends thereof communicating with the space between said outer and inner tanks, a hollow suction drum rotatably mounted in said inner tank and opened at both ends thereof correspondingly to said openings of said inner tank, said suction drum having a plurality of holes in the periphery thereof, and a cylindrical body rotatably mounted in said suction drum and having right and left symmetrical helical fins on the periphery thereof, said fins causing a flow of a washing liquid longitudinally along the periphery of the cylindrical body upon the rotation thereof.
 2. A suction drum washer as claimed in claim 1, wherein a net is wound around said suction drum.
 3. A suction drum washer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said openings of the inner tank have substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the fins.
 4. A suction drum washer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said right and left symmetrical fins are fixed at acute angles to the periphery of the cylindrical body respectively each extending toward an end of said cylindrical body.
 5. A suction drum washer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cylindrical body is tapered towards both ends thereof so that the center thereof is larger than both ends thereof while the height of the fins is the same throughout the entire length thereof.
 6. A suction drum washer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fins are formed so as to be higher at the end portions of said cylindrical body while said cylindrical body has the same diameter throughout the entire length thereof. 